Griseous Skies
by MuMaJi
Summary: One day Ash and his friends were walking along when they came across a mysterious woman. With her is an artifact filled with dark and evil powers, the Griseous Orb, which she intends to protect from those wishing to use it for malicious plots. But, what will happen when the one person who we thought was trustworthy becomes the enemy?
1. Chapter 1

It was a regular day in the land of Sinnoh. A girl and two boys were heading down a trail to the next town with their pokémon. There they would prepare for the upcoming Sinnoh league.

"Hey Brock…" whined the boy with messy black hair, a Pikachu rested on his shoulder, "When the heck are we going to get there?!"

The spiky-haired tall guy sighed, "Soon enough, Ash… Now stop complaining already!"

"I know, but I'm just so exited!" Ash started to get anxious.

"Hey," the blue-haired girl interrupted, "I think I see the town!" The group looked up.

Sure enough, the town was straight ahead, beyond the hill.

Ash's face lit up with joy, "All right!" he charged right ahead. "Hey Brock, see you and Dawn later!"

"Hey! Don't just rush off without us again!" Brock yelled out, then sighed "He's hopeless…"

"Well," Dawn asked, "should we go after him?" Her pokémon, Piplup, was lying happily in her arms like a stuffed animal.

"Nah…" Brock replied, "We'll catch up to him eventually…"

Meanwhile, Ash, along with his Pikachu, charged right on ahead. "All right!-" he gasped, "We're almost… there!-" He slowed down and stopped to catch his breath.

Ash was just starting to run again when he saw a figure in the distance. "Huh?" He stopped for a moment.

"Pika-pi?" his pokémon became curious as to why they were not running.

_What is that?_ He wondered.

Ash stood there as the figure in the distance started to come closer and closer.

It was a young woman with blond hair. She seemed to be running from something. As she came closer, Ash realized she was holding something in her arms.

The lady looked up and started to slow down. She stopped before Ash and Pikachu.

She was wearing glasses and a white lab coat.

"Heh… I finally… found you!" she looked Ash directly in the eye as she gasped for breath, "But… this isn't the place to be talking!-"

The woman looked over her shoulder. Ash realized that something wasn't right, and this lady must be in some kind of trouble…

"**_Pika!_**"

It was then, with a warning from his Pikachu, that he saw it. The silhouette of a giant Dusknoir, which was apparently coming straight for them!

"Jeez! Don't just stand there you idiot!"

The woman lunged towards an unprepared Ash, tackling him to the ground. She got up, a fearful look on her face, and ran off.

"Wha-" Ash sat up, "What the heck was that?!" his partner, Pikachu, just stood there dumbfounded. It took a minute for him to collect his thoughts.

Ash looked in his lap, the woman has left something; It was a golden, star-shaped orb about the size of a football.

"What is this thing supposed t -" Ash's thoughts were soon interrupted by a huge explosion, which sent him and Pikachu flying into some bushes!

Ash looked up, he realized that the Dusknoir from before had caught up to them. The explosion seemed to have been caused by a clash of the ghost pokémon and a strangely colored Mismagius.

"_Damn it! She ran on ahead! Go after her!_"

A man yelled out as the two pokémon continued to clash. He sent a group of men charging after the woman from before.

They all wore black uniforms with a big red 'R' on their shirts.

Ash was still confused, _Team Rocket?! What the heck are they doing here?_

Ash changed his attention to his partner, who was lying next to him. "You okay, Pikachu?" although roughed up a bit, his pokémon said it was fine.

Ash went over and picked up the strange orb, which had fallen a few feet away from them.

_Wait a sec… Maybe they're after this thing, whatever it is…_ Ash and his partner waited until Team Rocket was out of sight before leaving their hiding place.

Ash stood for a while, looking at the strange orb, wondering what to do.

That woman was obviously being chased by Team Rocket and the object he was holding was most likely the cause of it.

He didn't know what the thing was, or why Team Rocket would want it so much, or why that strange woman would want to protect it so badly, or even why the lady acted so strangely towards him.

But, Ash did know two things. First of all, the strange object he was holding was of some value, and needed to be hidden and protected from people like team rocket; Second of all, that young lady was important in getting his questions answered.

Ash had decided.

He would keep this orb as long as needed and continue on his journey while seeking the mysterious woman.

And so Ash, along with Pikachu, continued towards the next town.

He held the strange orb tightly in his arms, never looking back.


	2. Chapter 2

had been a while since Dawn and Brock had lost sight of Ash.

They ran into some Team Rocket goons while heading in his direction, but for some reason the criminals dashed right past the two without even bothering to pay them any attention.

Once they had gotten to town, they headed straight for the Pokémon Center but, Ash was nowhere to be found.

"Are you sure you don't know where he went?" Dawn asked worriedly. Brock stood next to her with a concerned look on his face and a bruise on his leg from Crogunk's Poison-Jab attack.

Nurse Joy didn't have any answers, "Yes. He left his pokémon here but, I can't tell where he could have gone."

Dawn sighed; even though she tried not to, she couldn't help but feel worried.

Brock was reassuring, "All right then… I guess we'll just wait here till he comes back." Nurse Joy wished them luck in finding their friend.

After about half an hour, Dawn felt troubled.

_Where is he? _

_He probably ran into Team Rocket before we did… maybe he went looking for us… Or is he just hiding from us on purpose or something?! No, he can't be that stupid… _

"Pi… piplup?" Dawn's pokémon was worried for its friend.

"Oh! It's okay Piplup, No need to worry!" Dawn replied half-heartedly, "Ash will come back soon! I'm sure of it!"

Piplup just looked at its partner with concern.

Meanwhile, Ash stood at the outskirts of town; he ran there as soon as he left the Pokémon Center.

He wanted to find is friends before they got to town, but they had probably gotten to the Pokémon Center already without him.

Now he was wondering what to do.

Ash had already put the strange orb in his backpack to hide it. He didn't want people to see him carrying it around because Team Rocket might catch word and go after him.

He wanted to go find that woman but, he knew he would have to return to the Pokémon Center soon.

Ash took the orb out from his bag and looked at it.

_That lady is probably long gone by now… Maybe I should just go back to the Pokémon Center and wait for Dawn and Brock…_

He put the orb back in his bag and walked back towards the town.

After about an hour, Ash finally met up with Brock and Dawn.

They were waiting at the Pokémon Center the whole time.

Dawn was very upset, "Where the heck where you?!"

Ash just sighed, "I went looking for you guys!"

Dawn gave Ash a look, "If you really wanted to see us you should have just waited until we got here!" Ash was starting to get bothered,

"I know that!" he raised his voice, "I just wanted to make sure you guys didn't run into any trouble with Team Rocket!"

Brock sighed, "You know, I think you guys should just relax," Ash and Dawn gave him their attention,

"I mean, we're together _now_, aren't we?"

He was right.

Ash and Dawn calmed down.

The group talked about what happened to them over dinner.

It was late by the time they were ready for bed.

Ash thought that this was the perfect time, if any; to ask about the object he had acquired.

He wasn't sure at first, but these were his friends, they would understand. Plus, one of them might know something.

"Um… hey… Guys…?" Ash caught Dawn and Brocks attention,

"Yeah, what's up?" Brock asked.

"Well…" Ash was still doubting his decision, "You guys ran into Team Rocket earlier, right?"

"Yeah?" They had curious looks on their faces.

"Well… So did I…"

Ash proceeded to explain his story,

"And that's how I got…" he pulled the strange orb out of his bag,

" this."

Ash's friends were mesmerized by the object.

Dawn was the first person to ask,

"What is it?"

"I don't know," Ash replied, "That's why I'm asking you guys…"

Ash soon realized that neither of his friends knew what the object was, either.

Dawn, Ash, and Brock discussed about the "_Orb_" for an hour before finally deciding that they would just have to wait until they can discover something.

Ash put it back in his backpack and they all went to sleep.

Had he known what it really was, he probably wouldn't have just left it in his bag unprotected.


	3. Chapter 3

"IT'S GONE!OHNOEITMUSTBESTOLENWHATAREWE GONNADOWHEREDID-"

Dawn and Brock woke up to a hysterical, screaming Ash.

"Nng… wha…" Dawn rubbed her eyes. "Gone? Huh…." The only response she got was Ash frantically yelling, "It's gone! The _thing_ is gone!"

Dawn looked up. The room was a mess. Drawers seemed to have been rifled through and things were tossed aside, obviously Ash's handiwork.

Another thing to note, the contents of Ash's backpack were scattered all over the floor. Both the door and the window were left wide open.

The strange orb was nowhere to be seen.

Dawn was shocked, "What happened?!"

"Apparently the '_Orb_' Ash had yesterday is missing." Brock replied.

"Well, that's bad," Dawn got up, "I guess I'll help you guys look for it."

"Yeah... _you can REALLY count on Ash to keep track of something important_!" Brock sighed sarcastically.

Over the course of the morning, Dawn, Brock, and Ash looked for the object.

They asked Nurse Joy about it, but she said she hadn't seen anything unusual.

In the end, they settled on the most practical and obvious answer, it was stolen.

Ash felt defeated.

He knew he wouldn't be able to just forget the object… or how he got it.

He was lost in thought all through breakfast and his mood wasn't that perky, either.

He was pretty upset when the group left the Pokémon Center.

" _Hello…_"

Ash stopped in his tracks, _That voice!_

He looked where the voice was coming from... Then, in the shadow of the Pokémon Center, he saw her... It was the young lady from before!

She walked forward. "I believe you're looking for this?" She was holding the "Orb" in her hand!

Everyone stood there for a second.

Ash was just about to speak when the woman interrupted him.

"You know, Ash…" She gave him a look, and then continued in a matter-of-factly tone, "You're pretty bad of keeping track of things."

Dawn and Brock were still shocked but Ash was starting to get flustered.

The woman walked up to him, "A _real_ thief could have easily come into your room last night, stolen the Griseous orb, and be on their merry way _without __you__ even noticing_!"

"Wh- what?!" Ash was starting to get angrier and confused by the minute. _What is she talking about? Is she mocking me?! Griseous orb…?_

The weird lady looked at Ash with disappointment and sighed,

"By the look on your face, I can tell you haven't learned anything."

She started to walk away, and stopped. She turned around and gave a sly grin,

"Well then… let's see if you can keep up with me!"

Then, without further warning, she ran off at full speed!

"WAIT!" Ash chased after the crazy lady, his Pikachu right by his side.

She wasn't going to get away, not when he was this close to getting the information he sought!

"Ash, hold on!" Dawn and Brock soon followed after him.

The chase went on through bustling streets and alleyways. They almost lost sight of each other on various occasions. They went on towards the suburbs and through the fields of the city park.

Ash followed the odd lady to a small coffee shop on the outskirts of the city. She was sitting at one of the tables outside while smirking at the children's imprudence. "So you _are_ serious about protecting the orb, _eh_?"

Ash stood there gasping for breath. "Are you… kidding me?!" he looked at her, full of loathing, he stood up and looked her in the eye, "After all that? No way! I just want some answers!"

The woman scoffed at him with a sigh, "_Answers, huh?_" she sounded mad. She looked at him vilely, her eyes were scrutinizing.

Ash was fuming, "Yeah, answers! Like what is that _Griseous Orb_ thing?! And why do you act like you're related to me or something!? And why the heck are you screwing around with me and my friends?!" he stopped to catch his breath.

Dawn and Brock had caught up by then, but they didn't want to interfere with what looked like was going to be a heated argument.

The lady stood up. Her long bangs and glinted glasses made her look somewhat creepy. "Fine. I will give you answers…" She glared at Ash, "But on one condition…"

"And what's that?" Ash growled.

"First of all, you must promise not to tell _ANYONE_ what I am about to say!"

the young woman sat down without removing her gaze,

"And second of all you must promise to protect this…"

she pulled out the golden, star-shaped orb from her bag,

"The legendary Griseous Orb."

They all stopped for a second.

They stared at the lady; then they gazed at the Griseous Orb.

Then, Ash broke the silence.

"Alright, I agree to your terms." He glared at the woman sitting before him,

" now talk!"


	4. Chapter 4

Ash, Dawn, and Brock sat with the woman as she spoke.

"I am professor Emma Starheart. Though I am very young, I work with many different sciences. One of them is finding and analyzing ancient relics." the young lady explained.

Emma pulled out the golden star-shaped object. "_This_ is the _Griseous Orb_. It is an ancient artifact that was sealed away deep in some ruins found in the Sinnoh region."

"_And_?" Ash was still curious.

"And," the professor continued to say, "It is said to hold incredible powers."

"_Wow…_" Dawn was fascinated.

Brock was also intrigued, "What kind of powers?" he asked.

"Well…there is a legend about that…" Professor Starheart paused for a second.

"Have you guys ever heard about the legendary pokémon, Giratina?"

Ash and his friends didn't think twice, "Of course we have!"

It was true. Not only had they _heard_ of the legendary dragon, but they had gone on an adventure with the illustrious Giratina and even to the reverse world, its place of residence.

The professor then replied, "Well then, I can guess you've heard the legend of how it was banished from our world."

"Huh?" Ash was confused. _Banished? What does she mean by that?_

"_Ohh_, I see!" the professor sounded sarcastically surprised, "So you _haven't_ heard of the legendary history of Giratina!"

Ash and company just sat for a second before Emma continued with her monologue. "Well, I guess I'll tell you, then…"

"Way back when, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina were set to govern different elements of the universe.

Dialga was said to be a headstrong gladiator who controlled time.

Palkia was the protective soldier who controlled space.

And Giratina was a power hungry dictator who controlled the balance of the different dimensions."

Starheart paused for a second. Ash, Dawn, and Brock were listening intently.

"Giratina was known as the Renegade pokémon because it became violent in its search for power and betrayed its fellows. It is said that Giratina grew to be an evil creature and that Arceus had to stop it from causing chaos."

Ash was confused. What was she talking about? The Giratina he had come to respect might be a little self-centered but, it was still very kind and tried to save the human world from destruction.

The professor soon realized this through Ash's expression. She continued to explain, "After defeating it, Arceus sealed all of Giratina's malevolence and power away, and then banished it to the Reverse World, another dimension where it now resides."

The professor stopped to see if Ash and his friends were paying attention. After about a minute, she got a response.

"I don't get it!" It was Ash, of course. "How come Giratina is still so legendary and powerful if Arceus took away all its power?! And how does that story relate to anything about us and the Griseous Orb?!"

"I wasn't finished yet." Emma said matter-of-factly. Ash just scowled.

"Over time, Giratina regained the powers it had lost, and now they aren't as sinister as they were previously."

She continued, "And the incredible dark powers it had before are still sealed away…"

she pulled out the Griseous Orb,

"in here."


	5. Chapter 5

"WHAT?!"

Nobody could believe it, the legendary dark powers of Giratina… hidden inside an object barely the size of a football!

"It is true." Professor Emma Starheart tried to convince them with little success, "Arceus itself was the one who sealed Giratina's powers into the Griseous Orb."

"But- how- why… What?!" Ash was still trying to grasp the idea. Dawn was silent from shock.

"So…" Brock seemed to have his head on straight, "Those incredible powers have been sealed away in that thing for ages now, haven't they?!"

"Yes, they have." Emma went on to explain, "The Orb has been protected and passed on through many ancient generations. But, the last civilization that had the orb was destroyed thousands of years ago."

Brock was starting to have a vague idea, "So that means…"

"The Griseous Orb was buried deep within the ancient ruins of the city where it was once protected." The professor answered him, "Over time, the Orb was forgotten but, those seeking its wicked powers are still searching for it."

"So you're the one who found it, right?" Dawn piped up.

"Yes, and I'm glad I did." Starheart sounded worried, "Because it seems that some evil organizations, mainly Team Rocket, are after the Orb's powers."

"Well then why don't we just destroy it right now?!" Ash suggested.

The professor was taken aback, "WHAT?!" she yelled at Ash, "You don't understand do you?! If the orb were destroyed, the powers inside it would be released!"

"So?! Then we can just get rid of them ourselves!" Ash yelled back.

"ARE YOU AN IDIOT?!" Emma was infuriated, "Didn't I tell you before that the powers inside here are PURE EVIL?!"

Ash stood back as she shouted at him, "If anyone were to smash this orb and gain Giratina's powers by mistake they would, no matter how good they are, be corrupted and soon cause chaos! Don't you understand?! We can't just smash it and throw it away like some kind of rotten egg!"

There was silence. Then, Dawn spoke.

"Well then what are we going to do?!" she asked, sounding anxious.

"Well…" The professor's voice didn't sound reassuring, "I've been researching on possible ways to destroy the orb…"

Everyone looked at her, she continued, "So far in my research, there is only one way to do it without bloodshed…" Starheart looked up, "it's to have Arceus destroy the orb."

"But-" Brock sounded worried.

"I know." Starheart interrupted, "That's a practically impossible answer. Although…" she paused, "I am still researching on another way to destroy the Orb."

Ash was starting to have an idea of what was going on, "So… until you can find a way…"

Emma finished his sentence, "You guys are going to help me protect it."

Everyone was quiet for a minute. Ash's face was full of anger.

"What?! There's no way!" Ash rejected, "I'm not gonna let you endanger me and my friends for some evil power that we can't do anything about!"

"Well, you and your friends might be in even more danger if the powers are released!"

Starheart glared at him, "And, if you refuse to help me…"

She pulled a handgun from her lab coat and aimed it at Ash,

"I'm going to have to kill you because you know too much."

Ash stood there, paralyzed by fear. Dawn and Brock stood up from shock, but didn't move otherwise.

Ash thought it over. He was about to retaliate when a shout was herd.

"_I found her! Boss, I found her! And she has the orb this time!_"

It was Team Rocket!

"Damn! They found us!"


	6. Chapter 6

Professor Emma Starheart took off with the Griseous orb, leaving Ash and his friends to deal with Team Rocket.

"Stop!" the Team Rocket goon was about to chase after her, but Ash got in his way, "No way I'm gonna let you go!"

Ash stood there, battle ready. Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and crouched on the ground, its cheeks sparking threateningly.

More Rocket members were able to get past, but Ash knew that his friends would help, too.

"Damn kid!" the rocket grunt pulled out a pokeball, "Go, Crobat!"

A purple bat-like pokémon was released from the ball.

"Alright then…" Ash smirked. This guy didn't seem too tough. His Pikachu growled, ready for action.

"Crobat, X-scissor!" the Rocket grunt ordered his pokémon to attack.

"Pikachu dodge it!" Ash shouted at Pikachu.

Pikachu jumped back, barely missing the X-shaped ray formed by Crobat's wings.

"Now, Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu jumped in the air, its cheeks flashing as it charged up its attack.

"Crobat! Dark Pulse!" The rocket grunt yelled at his pokémon.

Just then, Pikachu sent out a giant bolt of electricity!

It collided with a swirling beam of darkness sent out by Crobat!

The attacks clashed in the air for a second before they ended with a great explosion! The billowing smoke it had made took a while to clear.

Both of the owner's pokémon had clearly taken damage, but not that much.

Meanwhile, Dawn had met up with a female Rocket grunt. Her Umbreon was battling Dawn's Piplup.

Brock was going against a strong-looking male Rocket grunt. His fierce-looking Kabutops was batting eyes with Brock's Crogunk.

Ash and his opponent glared at each other.

They were about to order their pokémon to attack once more when something shot past.

_What the…?! _Ash was shocked. It was the Dusknoir from before! And it was heading in the professor's direction!

Someone flew after the Dusknoir on what appeared to be some sort of hoverboard.

_That's…!_ Ash recalled the first time he encountered Professor Starheart…

_Pikachu and I were hiding in some bushes when the Rocket guys came after the professor… _

_"_Damn! She got away!_"_

_"_Well, don't just stand there you idiots! Go after her!_" That person seemed to be in charge…_

_He was obviously the head of the group. He had all the bells and whistles to go along with the title._

_His eyes were bright green and his short hair was like silver._

_ He rode this floating skateboard thing and had a huge scar across his arm._

_I think the grunts called him n-_

**BOOM!**

"_Pikaa!_"

"Hehe! You should have been paying attention, kid!"

Ash was shocked back to reality.

His foe's Crobat had obviously attacked Pikachu with X-scissor while he was day-dreaming.

Ash glared at the grunt. This was getting serious with that captain guy going after Emma like that.

Pikachu could sense this from Ash. It got up and started charging up for its next attack.

Ash then commanded, "Pikachu, Volt Tackle!"

"Crobat, sludge bomb!"

The Team Rocket goon ordered his Crobat, but it had been paralyzed by Pikachu's electricity!

"What's going on?! Attack already!"

Before the Rocket grunt could realize what was happening, Ash's Pikachu started picking up speed.

Soon, Pikachu was cloaked in a veil of electricity!

"Quick, dodge!" The Rocket Grunt ordered his Crobat, but there was no hope!

Pikachu jumped into the air and tackled the Crobat at full speed, sending electricity throughout the Flying-type's body!

The attack was super effective! Crobat fell to the ground in a one-hit knock-out!

"No… this is… impossible…!" The Rocket grunt fell to his knees in disbelief.

The other rocket grunts facing Dawn and Brock had also been defeated.

"All right, let's go!" Ash yelled running in the direction of the professor.

Dawn and Brock agreed,

"Right!"


	7. Chapter 7

Professor Emma Starheart was running at full speed.

She held the Griseous orb in one arm. The other hand held a handgun, which she was quickly putting away in her belt.

The Dusknoir was catching up.

It shot a Dark Pulse, which the Professor dodged with her acrobatic speed and agility.

In the hand where she was holding the gun, she now held a pokeball; she threw it in the air.

Then with a flash of light, a strangely colored Mismagius was released from the ball!

"MaGiCa, stop it!" she called out to her pokémon.

Following orders, the Mismagius charged towards the Dusknoir.

It shot a shadow ball of dark energy towards the foe, which was counter-attacked with a Dark-Pulse.

Emma continued running.

Even though his pokémon was stalled, she knew her follower would soon catch up.

In the meantime, Brock, Dawn, and Ash were hurrying after the Professor.

Ash kept thinking about the Rocket Head from before, _I have to stop that guy!_

He knew that the person would steal the Griseous orb… But! Ash was going to make sure to prevent him from doing so!

Meanwhile, Professor Starheart was starting to get tired. The chase had taken her all the way to the old, abandoned side of town.

She was losing speed, quickly.

She turned a corner, only to meet up with a dead end!

She stopped for a moment to catch her breath, and then started to run again.

But it was too late.

The Rocket Boss had caught up to her!

He stood in front of Starheart, a smirk was on his face.

His short hair was slick and silver, his eyes were devilish green.

"_Hello, Professor._"

Emma faked a smile, "Good day to you…"

The Rocket Head held out his hand, as if ready to be given something,

"Now, I _believe_ you know what I'm here for…"

Professor Starheart held the Griseous Orb tightly in her arms,

"And I _believe_ that I have nothing to give you!"

The Rocket Commander grinned maliciously, "_Oh?!_"

"Then I guess that you believe I'm _actually_ going to let you go!"

The professor looked around. She was surrounded by Duskull!

It was a trap!

"Now, hand over the Griseous Orb!"

The Rocket Head commanded, moving in closer.

"Thunderbolt!"

A wave of electricity hit the Duskull surrounding the Professor, paralyzing them!

She grinned, "Hello my friends!"

The Rocket Head stood there as Ash and his friends came to Professor Emma Starheart's rescue.

Dawn and Brock ran up to her, "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, thanks." she smirked.

Ash and Pikachu ran up to the Rocket head, prepared to defend their friend.

"Well, well…" The Rocket commander grimaced, "So you're the ones who defeated my reinforcements…"

Ash stood strong, "The name's Ash! And there's no way I'm going to let _you_ steal the Griseous Orb!"

"Oh really, _Ash_…" The Captain glared at him, "I guess _I'll_ introduce myself as well… I am-"

"_No need!_" Ash interrupted, "I already know!"

"Oh really, _Mr. I-Know-Everything_, What is it then?!" The captain said, miffed.

"You're one of the heads of Team Rocket, Captain Nova!" Ash exclaimed confidently.

The Rocket Boss smiled sarcastically,

"_Correct indeed!_"


	8. Chapter 8

Ash and Rocket Captain Nova stood face to face in a standoff.

Dawn & Brock were keeping the surrounding Duskull, who had recovered from shock, at bay while the professor came up with an escape plan.

"So, I'm guessing the professor told you about the Grisceous Orb, did she not?"

Nova inquired.

"Yeah, I know about its _evil powers_…" Ash paused for a second, "And there's_ no way _I'm gonna let_ you _get a hold of em!"

"Oh, and you actually believe what _she_ says?!" The Rocket head questioned.

"Keh," Ash didn't like the way this guy was talking, "_And what's that supposed to mean?!_"

"_Weelll…_" A smirk grew on Nova's face, "It might not be my place to say this but…"

The Rocket Boss paused, Ash's curiosity got the best of him.

"What?!"

"Well…" Nova looked Ash in the eye, "are you sure you can _really trust her_?"

Ash paused for a second, "_o-Of course I can!_ You're just trying to trick me, aren't you?!"

"Oh, I can see why you wouldn't trust _me_…" the rocket captain told Ash reassuringly, "But I was just saying… how can you trust _her__ either_?"

Ash's mind was starting to sway. He shook his head, _No! He's bad, don't believe him!_

Nova continued, "I mean… she held a gun to your head, didn't she? How can you be sure that she isn't as _selfish_ and _mean_ as I am?!"

Ash winced. No matter how hard he tried to ignore him, Nova was right.

How could Ash trust Professor Starheart? She _did_ put a gun to his head! Maybe she was using Ash and his friends to get away with some kind of plot!

The Rocket Leader grinned; he could tell his message had gotten across.

"Ash!"

Dawn called out. She and Brock had stunned and taken down all the Dusknoir. They were making an escape, along with the professor.

"Right!" Ash chased after his friends, his Pikachu not far behind.

"Not so fast!"

Nova was one step ahead of them.

He jumped into the air, his shoes transformed into a hover board.

Ash stopped in his tracks,

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" He called out to his partner.

Pikachu shot bolts of electricity towards Nova. He dodged every one of them.

The Rocket Captain zoomed right past Ash and Pikachu.

He threw three metallic pokeballs at Ash's friends.

They pulsed bright green, and burst into laser nets that caught Dawn and Brock. Emma was able to dodge them.

Nova charged towards Professor Starheart.

"Ash!"

At the last second, she threw the Griseous Orb!

Ash ran towards it.

_I'm not gonna make it!_

He lunged, hands held out…

He caught it!

_Yes!_

Ash stood up quickly.

He started to run, but Nova was too fast!

The Rocket head was right in front of Ash in an instant!

His hand lunged towards the Griseous Orb!

In shock, Ash dropped it!

**_SMASH_**


	9. Chapter 9

Everyone stopped where they were, as if paralyzed.

The Griseous Orb lay on the ground, cracked and splintering.

Silence.

All eyes on the orb.

A black fog started to ooze from the fractures.

A bright red light from inside the object started to seep through the cracks.

The fog was billowing now, and the bright red light burst out from the orb!

Nova stirred, fear on his face.

Something wasn't right…

**_BOOM!_**

The orb exploded in a flash of red light!

Ash screamed. The explosion sent him and Nova flying!

The black fog met smoke and blew with winds created by the shockwave.

Professor Emma Starheart was nearly knocked off her feet.

The explosion caused the laser nets trapping Dawn and Brock to malfunction and disappear.

When, the smoke and fog cleared, the Rocket captain was lying yards away from Ash and his friends.

Ash, on the other hand, was only feet away from where the explosion had occurred. His body was glowing red, the same light from the Griseous Orb.

Emma saw this immediately, "Oh shit… this is _NOT_ good…" Fear ran through her veins.

"w-what's going on?!" Dawn was worried and confused.

Both she and Brock knew something wasn't right, even though they hadn't seen the Griseous orb break.

Nova groaned. He shakily got up.

His attention immediately turned to Ash, just in time to see the last of the red glow fade away.

Fury burned in his eyes.

_That kid…!_

Ash groaned.

_W-what just…? Me… that...!?_

He could barely sit up. His head hurt and his body felt numb.

Meanwhile, Nova jumped in the air. His hover board started forming.

The professor realized what was happening. She started running towards Ash, but she couldn't make it in time!

The Rocket Head shot towards the boy, and grabbed him by the neck.

Ash was being choked while Nova pulled him into the air.

"l-let- go… of… me-!" he gasped for breath.

"You insolent little bastard!" Nova was really pissed off,

"_I_ was supposed to have the power of Giratina!"

Ash was trying to breathe, "Let - go…!" he pulled on Nova's hands.

"My whole life is ruined _BECAUSE OF YOU_!"

The rocket captain squeezed tighter around Ash's throat.

He could barely breathe at all,

_Let go… Get your hands off my neck…let go of me…. _

" **IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!**"

_LET ME GO!_


	10. Chapter 10

Everything happened in a split second.

Ash was sinking his fingers into Nova's neck. Long grisly claws, plated in gold, grew from his fingers.

The Rocket Captain, in shock, loosened his grip on Ash's neck, releasing him.

But, Ash did not fall.

Instead, he floated in the air, as if held up by invisible strings.

Something was _definitely_ wrong!

He pulled the Nova higher into the air, sinking his claws deeper and deeper into the captain's neck.

Ash's skin, starting from his hand, was starting to turn into a sickly grey color. His eyes had turned black, and his pupils glowed bright red.

As his friends watched in horror from below, Ash continued to choke the Rocket boss without mercy, until blood started to ooze from the wounds on his neck.

Ash smiled deviously, his teeth were sharp, and he had lost his sanity. He threw Nova towards the ground with full intent of killing him.

The Captain's hover board saved him from a fatal crash, but he was still knocked unconscious.

By then, Ash's horrific transformation was starting to become more evident.

All of his skin was now a bluish-grey, with black markings on his arms.

Although most of it was hidden by his shirt, a pattern of black and red stripes covered an area over his neck and abdomen.

Ash looked at the blood on his hand and , as if possessed, started laughing manically. Even though he was feeling pain, a new sense of bloodlust and anger caused him not to care.

His face became framed with gold plates, giving it a devilish appearance. Golden spikes grew from his arms and wrapped around his skin.

Ash only stopped his horrid mirth when a shock of immense pain surged through his body.

Everything was throbbing; his back and sides had become excruciatingly painful.

Ash hunched over in pain and gasped for breath. He moaned, which now sounded more like a growl, as something seemed to be growing inside his shirt.

He screamed when two black wings burst from his back. They were adorned with three red claws each.

Along with wings, an extra pair of arms grew right below Ash's old ones, with claws and markings to match.

Ash gasped for breath, he couldn't ignore the pain anymore.

His transformation had taken a lot out of him.

He quivered there in the air, his body limp, before gravity finally took back its hold.

**CRASH**

"_Ash no!_"

"_Hurry, we have to get out of here, fast!_"

"_I can't believe… that's really… him…_"

**_Everything went dark…_**


	11. Chapter 11

**_Ugngh…_**

Ash groaned.

He was wasted; he couldn't even open his eyes.

His body was numbed by pain. He could barely feel his Pikachu cuddled next to his head.

Ash tried to bend his fingers, but he couldn't tell whether they were moving or not.

Ash could still hear, though.

He listened to people whispering to each other.

But, it was strange…

Even though the voices were coming from across the room, he could hear them loud and clear, as if he could read their minds, or something.

Of course, Ash didn't think about this. His head was throbbing; it felt like he hit it pretty hard on the left side.

So, Ash just lay there, listening.

"_- think he's starting to wake up…?_"

"_Yeah… I see…_"

Silence…

Ash was confused.

The last thing he remembered was being choked by the Rocket Captain Nova. Everything after that was just red light and shadows.

He didn't know where he was or how he got in his condition.

He wanted answers.

Someone continued to speak,

"_What are we going to do? I mean-_"

"_Yes, I know what you mean… And I believe I told you my answer!_"

Someone stood up,

"_But he's our friend! We can't just kill him!_"

_w-wait?! What?!_ Ash was alarmed, _k-kill me?!_

"_I thought I told you! It doesn't matter if he's your friend or not!_"

Someone else got up,

"_Now that he's been taken over by Giratina's powers, he's a demon!_"

Ash was paralyzed by fright.

He lay still, listening to the voices more closely.

"_But!_"

_That's Brock…_

"_But nothing! What's one life compared to many that could be destroyed!_"

_Professor Starheart… So she's the one…!_

"_No! Ash would never do that!_"

_Dawn… She sounds upset…_

"_Pika-pi?!_" Pikachu had gotten up.

It sensed its master's turmoil; its ears were pulled back from unease.

Ash didn't realize this.

He was filled with different emotions; distress, sympathy, and, confusion, along with a hidden sense of anger, fury, and bloodlust.

He remembered Nova's words…

_"__**Are you sure you can really trust her?**__"_

_"I mean, she held a gun to your head, didn't she? How can you be sure that she isn't as selfish and mean as I am?!"_

_ "I can see why you wouldn't trust me…"_

_"__**But how can you trust her either?**__" _

Ash tried to ignore Nova before. He tried so hard to reject those words, but…

Then the Professor's voice echoed through his head…

**_"If you refuse to help me…" _**

_ "…It doesn't matter if he's your friend or not, he's still a demon!"_

_"… what's one life compared to many that could be destroyed!?" _

**_"I'm going to have to kill you because you know too much."_**

Ash flinched.

He could feel fear from Dawn and Brock, very similar to his own.

He was shivering.

Pikachu backed off. It sensed movement in its friend.

Ash's eyes flashed open; the world around him seeped blurrily into sight.

He quickly sat up.

Ash winced, feeling started to painfully pour back into him.

"Look, Ash-!" he could hear Brock call out.

Dawn gasped and Pikachu quietly called his name with concern.

Ash's could also hear Professor Starheart's thoughts; _So he's awake…_ They were more scrutinizing than surprised.

The world was looking a lot clearer now…

He didn't look around, but Ash could tell they were inside of someplace…

He had his sense of touch back now. But, something wasn't right.

Ash tried to move his arms but he couldn't tell which they were.

He had too many limbs; it was starting to give him a headache.

Meanwhile, the others were paralyzed. They stood in one place, their eyes focused on Ash, wondering what was going to happen.

Along with what he felt inside, what Ash saw from outside himself was freaking him out as well…

_M-my skin it's…! And my… arms…! What… happened… to me?!_

Ash screamed.

He hugged himself tightly with one pair of arms, and buried his face in the other two.

He felt horrible.

_I… am a monster…!_

He wailed, his voice was creepy and distorted.

Brock watched the scene with grief. Dawn was seconds away from weeping.

Starheart just watched, scowling.

_How sad… _She thought…

_I guess I should put him out of his misery._

"Wait, Professor! What are you-!"

Ash sensed movement. He had heard Emma's thoughts from before…

In a flash, his gaze was upon the Professor.

She held out her handgun.

It was pointed at Ash.

"_I'm sorry…_"

**_BANG_**


	12. Chapter 12

**_BANG_**

Another two shots were heard.

"_Sorry…_"

Professor Starheart apologized falsely.

Dawn and Brock were taken aback. They watched with horror.

The professor looked up, expecting to see Ash at least wounded.

But there was a problem.

Ash had disappeared.

The professor was shocked.

_How…? Where…?!_

Then, with a flash of black shadows, he was there.

_Damn, he knows how to use Shadow Force…!_

Another burst of shadows, he vanished, her gun was gone.

_Ka-click…_

The professor turned around.

Ash was standing right being her.

Her gun was in his hand, aimed at her chest.

Ash was growling angrily, his sight aligned with the professor's.

His eyes were cold; they had lost the last of their humanity.

"_NO!_"

Dawn screamed.

She couldn't believe what was happening.

_No…! You're still Ash…! You're not a bloodthirsty demon…! Please… you're still my friend!_

Ash's attention quickly went over to her.

A flash of darkness and his face was inches from hers.

She coiled back in shock.

Ash stared deep into Dawn's eyes.

She cringed.

It felt as though a cold hand was reaching into her soul.

For a second, Ash's face lit up with surprise.

He heard the fear and sympathy that Dawn had. He could feel her…

It was only a second, and then his face scowled with resentment.

There was a flash of shadows, and Ash had disappeared.

Everyone stood where they were, dumbfounded.

Then, Professor Starheart broke the silence, "Outside, Quickly!"

The group ran out of the abandoned house were they had taken refuge.

Sure enough, there was Ash.

He was standing in front of what appeared to be some kind of portal.

Whatever it was, it was expelling large amounts of energy. The wind it created pushed the others away from it.

"Ash!" Brock called out, seeing his friend going towards the portal.

Ash stopped. He looked his friends in the eye, his eyes weren't emotionless anymore.

Silence. Ash's face filled with regret.

He looked away.

He turned and jumped into the portal.

"_ASH!_" Ash's friends were about to chase after him, when the portal closed.

The aftershock pushed everyone to their knees.

Ash was gone.

The professor said under her breath,

"He's gone to the Reverse world…"

Her face lit with fury, "_DAMN IT!_"

She hit the ground with her fist.

She had lost her chance.


	13. Chapter 13

Ash jumped into the window that led to the reverse world.

As soon as he was on the other side, his body was encased in light.

Ash second pair of arms disappeared; the gold crown that framed his face grew larger, covering where his mouth once was.

His wings turned into six, long, black tentacles, crowned with one red talon each.

The golden claws on his hands turned into gruesomely long and black nails and the markings on his arms and chest altered slightly.

Ash felt a new power pouring into him, its warmth spread through his chest.

He smiled to himself,_ So… This is my __**true**__ form…!_

Ash looked around; the reverse world was just as he had remembered it.

The land was distorted; buildings were stacked on top of each other like mirrored images.

It was then that Ash realized something else… He was miraculously floating in the sky, thousands of feet higher than the nearest segment of land!

He freaked out for a second, and started falling through the air!

In shock, he closed his eyes; he was able to calm down enough to stop his fall.

Ash's words could be heard telepathically, "**_Man…! That… was close…!_**"

It took some practice, but after a while Ash was able to fly through the air with ease. Here, in this world, the laws of physics were just a plaything for his mind.

As he flew on, Ash looked at his surroundings.

He came upon what seemed to be a forest.

Various types of trees seemed to have been jammed into the earth by their tips; their root shot into the air, seeming to defy gravity.

Rocks floated, disappeared, and reappeared as if controlled by some odd psychic force.

Bushes covered in gruesome-looking berries seemed to be alive as they grew and then diminished to their roots at will.

Flowing from a lake at the edge of the forest, a huge waterfall flowed upwards into a hanging river.

Ash soared over to the lake. He sat down by the water's edge.

He looked at his reflection.

He stayed there, staring, deep in thought.

He thought over what had just happened, and almost went back to the real world several times, but something always convinced him otherwise.

His mind was as altered as his appearance, every human thought soon became corrupted. It was hard for Ash to think straight without becoming furious or bloodthirsty.

Every minute Ash thought of the real world, his face filled with shame and sadness.

_My world was empty…_

_Even the plants, which seem so alive, are just illusion…_

Ash wanted to go back to his friends.

He wanted to apologize to the one's he had hurt.

He wanted to continue his journey with Pikachu and have it all be normal; but it wasn't.

His face was proof.

His face, whose black eyes showed the darkness that could never do right; whose red pupils showed a demon that could never have friends again.

After half an hour of sulking, Ash's beastly, corrupted temper started to take over.

His guilt and loneliness turned into rage; his eyes became fierce, glowing with bloodlust.

With hatred on his mind, Ash jumped in the air and faced the ground.

He held his arms back, as if he was about to pitch something.

His nails grew into insanely huge, brightly glowing talons! It was Dragon Claw Attack!

Then he charged at the ground with amazing speed, yelling with anger!

**_BOOM!_**

Smoke and debris were sent flying from the resulting explosion!

Ash sighed, he had released his pint-up fury, "**_whoo… That… feels better…_**"he stood up in the middle of the giant crater he had just created.

Before he was about to sit down, Ash sensed something.

He was barely able to glimpse a flash of shadows, which was enough to tip him off on what was soon incoming!

It was a giant ball of blue flames, which burst towards Ash!

He dodged the attack in the nick of time and turned quickly to see who had fired it.

His eyes caught sight of a huge, basilisk-like dragon. It was grey, with black and red markings on its body.

Like Ash, it had six black tentacles growing from its back and its face was crowned within a golden frame.

It's devilish eyes lined up with Ash's.

He recognized the creature right away; it was the _true_ lord of the Reverse World…

"**_g-Giranita…!_**"


End file.
